


offers & promises

by evanescent



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, is this a rarepair is this even a pair is someone going to consider it with me, this is my definition of passive-agressive flirting in the middle of the match
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 14:02:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6242275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evanescent/pseuds/evanescent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Over the course of his time at the team, Matsukawa has come to have another particular reason to feel a little more on the edge during their games against Shiratorizawa. This reason even had a name.</p><p>Tendou fucking Satori.</p>
            </blockquote>





	offers & promises

**Author's Note:**

> never did i think i will get a chance to make a tag for a hq!! ship on ao3 and yet here we are
> 
> okay, so this? a week or so ago [this comic](http://koyukichi.tumblr.com/post/140441377501) came out to promote vol. 20 and i talked about it with [marcela](http://hajimeiwaizvmi.tumblr.com/) on twitter and she was like "okay but consider mattsun/tendou" and i was like. challenge accepted

Their matches against Shiratorizawa have always had a special weight to them, Matsukawa thinks. It’s only logical, considering Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s animosity and drive to beat Ushijima which has been a thing since middle school, as well as knowing the simple fact that the other team always stands in their way to advance. By now, everyone in Seijou seems to feel it and treat it like a special kind of rivalry, so, all in all, it’s understandable why playing against Shiratorizawa is always a little more heated than against other schools.

But over the course of his time at the team, Matsukawa has come to have another particular reason to feel a little more on the edge during their games. This reason even had a name.

Tendou fucking Satori.

See, Matsukawa certainly has some pride as a player and a middle blocker; while he’s not a great talent, he knows he _is_ good, perhaps not good enough to block Ushijima’s spikes (but oh, he tries, alright), but his height and quick thinking are something he makes use of. He enjoys shutting down their opponents and sometimes it brings out his “mean streak”, as Oikawa called it more than once. Matsukawa doesn’t think it’s a bad thing; it’s a _fun_ thing, if anything.

Shiratorizawa’s Guess Monster, though.

They’re in the beginning of the second set when Oikawa tosses the ball to Hanamaki for a quick, only to be completely blocked by Tendou. The ball slams against the court, just a fraction away from Watari’s hand.

“Geh!” Makki exclaims, scowling hard.

“There’s not much you can do about that,” Tendou offers politely from the other side of the net, shrugging his arms with a smirk. “Unless your setter manages to surprise me with something.”

Matsukawa observes Oikawa’s eyebrow twitch dangerously at that. Both he and Hanamaki look like they’re fuming with anger and in all honesty, Matsukawa feels no different. He noticed a long time ago that Tendou has this effect on people.

“Don’t mind,” he says then, sounding as dry as usually. “If Guess Monster wants a surprise, we can give him that much, can’t we?”

Tendou whips his head to regard him with a curious look. “Oh, Matsukawa-kun, are you offering?”

“Where would be fun in telling you that?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. Tendou snorts.

“Honestly, he pisses me off so much,” Iwaizumi mutters from behind Matsukawa as they get ready for Oohira’s serve. “I would punch him in the face if it wasn’t a volleyball game.”

“Tell me about it.” Matsukawa sighs almost dreamily, imagining how great it would feel like to have Tendou shut up.

After the receive, Oikawa does a dump shot and Matsukawa can’t help but grin, seeing frustrated expressions of Shiratorizawa’s players. Tendou looks irritated as well, even if somewhat pensive, but Matsukawa isn’t petty; he will take what he can get.

Oikawa aims his serve well, targeting Shiratorizawa’s only starter first year; the receive goes awry, coming over to their side and the setter tosses to Iwaizumi. Two-man block follows, including Ushijima, but Iwaizumi manages a block-out and they score next point.

“You rarely join me in blocking, Wakatoshi-kun,” Tendou says, tilting his head at the ace.

“Getting a point and breaking Oikawa’s serving streak’s crucial,” Ushijima answers simply, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Well, Matsukawa knows it _is_ , any team would think so, too, but he does feel vaguely irritated since, as usually, Ushijima doesn’t seem to spare a thought for Seijou players other than Oikawa.

Some of this irritation must show on his face as Tendou glances through the net and smirks at him. “Wakatoshi-kun, you realize we’re playing against a six-man team, right?” he asks, sounding earnest and Matsukawa grimaces at how insincere it is.

“I’m aware of that fact?” If anything, Ushijima seems more confused than not, his statement coming out more like a question. “It’s a volleyball match, there are six players on each side of the court. Have you not known it, Tendou?”

Matsukawa feels a strange mix of wonder at how _dense_ Ushijima can be and amusement at Tendou’s expression when his attempt at riling up backfires. In the end, Shiratorizawa’s middle blocker just waves a hand at his captain, setting for, “Yeah, anyway.”

The game goes on; it feels pretty even at first, but the further they go, the more apparent Shiratorizawa’s lead becomes. It’s frustrating, but they keep their cool and play like it’s not nagging at them, a well-oiled machinery. Trash talking goes quieter, too, at least until Matsukawa jumps to block Tendou’s spike, especially vicious this time after a good set from Shirabu, and fails to stop him.

“My, my, Matsukawa-kun, would you really call it a block? I could barely see you up there, let alone, feel there was someone trying to stop me.”

 _What did you just say about my block, bitch_ , is what Matsukawa wants to say and it almost makes its way past his pursed lips, but instead, he straightens up, looking Tendou evenly in the eye, countering that mischievous yet somewhat intimidating red. He always found it ironic they’re basically the same height, and hoped the next time they meet, he’ll have at least a goddamn centimetre or so of apparent advantage.

“That’s a shame,” Matsukawa answers slowly, almost chastely. “The next time, I’ll make sure to double the trouble for you.”

“Oh, so you _are_ offering, this time!” Tendou beams at him and honestly, it’s so unexpected and just plain weird, it makes the ends of hair on Matsukawa’s arms stand up.

“Stop smiling, you look like a serial killer for whom Christmas came earlier than expected,” he snaps, unlike himself.

He doesn’t find out what Tendou’s comeback was supposed to be because their coach calls for a time-out. Off the court, Kindaichi bows his head apologetically, saying, “I’m sorry, Matsukawa-san, the next time I’ll make sure to be around to jump to the block with you.”

“No sweat, kid,” Matsukawa replies, wiping his face and thinking it was a well-placed joke, considering Makki’s snort. “It’s hard to blame you for thinking the toss would go to Ushijima, they had a good follow-up to do so.”

Back in the game, the next toss goes to Ushijima indeed, but there’s a net touch, so they get a little lucky. After switching in for Kindaichi, Kunimi does a feint, leaving Shiratorizawa’s libero scrambling for the ball without luck, leading them to just one point of difference. Whatever happens next could change the flow of the game, they all know that

Iwaizumi’s serve is received, even if with some difficulty, but it doesn’t stop Ushijima’s spike. Somehow, though, Watari manages to pick it up, but the ball is coming back over the net. It’s an ideal occasion for knocking it down and Matsukawa looks at the front line of their opponents for a split second, gears in his mind working quickly as he nudges Iwaizumi to get his attention. When the ball smacks hard against Matsukawa’s palms, landing on the other side of the net, he thinks he’s really glad to be playing volleyball.

“I said I would double the trouble for you,” Matsukawa says to Tendou, smirking as he and Iwaizumi high five. “I keep my promises.”

“Truly a man of his word,” Tendou cooes – fucking _cooes_ , his expression not nearly enough pissed off to feel satisfying to Matsukawa. “Would you take me on any challenge?”

“What the hell is his deal,” Iwaizumi wonders out loud at the same time as someone calls from the sidelines of Shiratorizawa’s side, “Stop flirting and get your head in the game, Satori!”

“Aw, Eita-kun, don’t be jealous!” Tendou shouts back. “You know Matsukawa-kun is my favourite middle blocker,” he says and glances at his teammates, adding quickly, “when it comes to our rivals, of course!”

Matsukawa doesn’t get honest-to-God confused often, but when he does, he _does_. It feels like he missed something important somewhere during this game, or maybe during almost three years of something akin to acquaintance with Tendou.

Someone clears his throat behind him and Matsukawa turns around, already prepared for the worst.

“Mattsun, do you wish to tell us something?” Oikawa asks, cocking head to the side and regarding him with a flat look, almost like a disappointed parent.

“Yeah, like, I feel offended I didn’t know about _this_ ,” Hanamaki joins in, his tone mock-hurt. “I thought best friends tell each other things like _that_.”

“Get off my case, assholes,” Matsukawa calls. “I don’t know what are you imagining in those poor, little brains of yours, but stop right now, I can tell it’s something filthy.”

“I don’t even want to know.” Iwaizumi just shakes his head.

When Matsukawa glances at Tendou some time later, catching his eye, he gets another half-smirk, half-smile in return. It makes his skin prickle.

What’s more worrying, it isn’t an entirely bad feeling. Just like, ninety-five percent bad feeling. The other five percent is… something.

…

(bonus.)

Matsukawa’s studying when his phone buzzes and he takes a distraction gratefully. It’s short-lived, though, as he finds a following message, from an unknown number.

_[07:17] Hey, Matsukawa-kun, does the loss still sting badly? I sure hope so! ( ´∀｀)_

It’s obvious who the text’s from, but Matsukawa spends a good minute before sending an eloquent reply.

**[07:18] fuck off tendou how did you even get my number?**

_[07:19] From a little plant! I can’t tell more, though, you keep your promises and I keep my secrets._

Matsukawa goes through a list of suspects and he’s pretty sure he’s not wrong when he shoots a text to Kunimi. He feels like it sounds more like something Makki would say and it’s supposed to be a testimony to how bad things are.

**[07:22] how could you have done that to your senpai you traitor you were like a son to me**

For all his apathy and laziness, Kunimi is quick to reply like usually.

[07:24] i did it for the team, matsukawa-san. please do something about your sexual tension before we get to play shiratorizawa again

**[07:25] what the hell**

**[07:27] what sexual tension? have you seen him??? he looks like he stepped out of a kid’s shitty colouring book or something**

[07:28] and doesn’t it say something about you

Ruthless as ever. Matsukawa groans and texts Tendou again.

**[07:30] fuck you**

The answer’s immediate and predictable.

_[07:30] Oh, are you offering? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_

Fucking Tendou Satori.

**Author's Note:**

> forever bitter we didn't get to see seijou vs shiratorizawa (even tho it would make me cry bc i'm a salty seijou stan) ((but i do love shiratori, for the record)) like i wanna see how badly tendou had to get under third years' skin that iwa would rather choose him than ushijima as a player he hates lmao
> 
> if anyone actually came this far and read it, thank you?? your kudos and thoughts would be the most appreciated!


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